RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: Hester Creek 2022 Old Vine Cabernet Franc

Another red from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.

It is a Hester Creek 2022 Old Vine Cabernet Franc. Aged 18 months in French and American oak.

Aroma: Both black and red cherry offer initial welcoming notes with a deep blackberry and mocha riff. Although comparisons are often odious it reminds one of a Niagara Cabernet Franc on steroids.

Palate: Brisk tannins.  Ginja D’Obidos, black licorice and raspberry both clean and beguiling. Peppery and long finish with a flash of sweetness.

Personality: I am yet another dependable high-class Okanagan red. Not surprising given some of the grapes were from the Holy Grail of Osoyoos.

Food Match: Steak au Poivre.

Cellarbility: Drink now or hold until 2028.

Price: $ 40 CDN

RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine Rating: 94/100. Winesniagara.com 93.

(Hester Creek 2022 Old Vine Cabernet Franc, Okanagan Valley BC VQA, Hester Creek Estate Winery, Oliver, British Columbia, 14.3%, 750 mL).

RKS Literature: Leisure, Security and the Stupefaction of Poverty (George Orwell)

“For if leisure and security were enjoyed by all alike, the great mass of human beings who are normally stupefied by poverty would become literate and would learn to think for themselves, and when once they had done this, they would sooner or later realize that the privileged minority had no function, and they would sweep it away. In the long run, a hierarchal society was only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance.”

George Orwell, “1984”, 1949.

“Lost in Puppydom: Rory Dylan Stephen’s Puppydom”: ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS HAS RORY BECOME A SMASH AND GRAB ARTIST? IS RORY HEADING TO PUPPY REFORM SCHOOL?

ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS HAS RORY BECOME A SMASH AND GRAB ARTIST? IS RORY HEADING TO PUPPY REFORM SCHOOL?

On the eighth day of Christmas our dishwasher failed to drain despite valiant and creative attempts to make it by Bob.

Matthew the repairman arrived on the eighth day of Christmas and while bending down and not looking I grabbed a small screwdriver from his toolbox and ran but was immediately apprehended by Bob with an exasperated statement emanating from his lips. Matthew had a good chuckle. Thinking all was forgiven I grabbed Matthew’s running shoe when no one was looking. It is always so much fun doing “creative puppy things” when no one is looking!

Bob said to me, “Rory, you are a smash and grab artist and if you aren’t careful some of your puppydom may be spent in puppy reform school. You are very lucky there is a huge waiting list of puppies to enter that school and good luck on ever having treats there!”

I am uncertain as to the meaning of Bob’s statement, but I believe it means less than a compliment!

RKS Literature: The High, The Middle and the Low of Society

“Throughout recorded time, and probably since the end of the Neolithic stage, there have been three kinds of people in the world, the High, the Middle and the Low. They have been subdivided in many ways, they have borne countless different names, and their relative different numbers, as well as their attitude towards another, have varied from age to age, but the essential structure of society has never altered. Even after enormous upheavals and seemingly irrevocable changes, the same pattern has always re-asserted itself, just as a gyroscope will always return to equilibrium, however far it is pushed one way or the other.

The aims of these groups are entirely irreconcilable.”

George Orwell, “1984”, 1949.

“Lost in Puppydom: Rory Dylan Stephen’s Puppydom”: RORY’S FIRST CHRISTMAS: A PERFECT DAY IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

RORY’S FIRST CHRISTMAS: A PERFECT DAY IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

There has been a buzz of activity in the past few days before Christmas. Lots of chopping of vegetables and delicious baking smells. This must be related to the big tree in the living room from which I have grabbed a few dangling shiny things when no one was looking…such much of my fun when no one is looking!

Then an enormous bird is placed in the oven early in the morning and Bob, Fay and their son A all say “Merry Christmas” to each other and eat a $50 freshly baked panettone A has been talking about for days. I think it is yellow bread? I am given a piece and oooooh weeee it is fantastic. Far better than the chicken treats I receive when I do my business outside or do my tricks. Yes…I can SHAKE A PAW NOW!

I am told this big bird is a turkey and I WILL GET SOME TURKEY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! The smell is driving me nuts. Hurry up turkey! I want a piece.

When I am up from my nap Bob and Fay’s grandchildren J and J, close to pups themselves, are in the living room along with their parents. I am the star of the show. When pups like me are not naughty puppies we can be centre stage. Why?

Everyone exchanges presents with paper acrackling and I get to tear open a few of my own presents. CHEW TOYS! How does everyone know chewing is my forte?

Then food, food and more food. The fireplace crackling. I receive a small piece of turkey and a spoonful of mashed potatoes. The turkey and heat of the fire make me close my eyes and Bob takes me to my home, my crate and I fall asleep dreaming of chasing a squirrel, eating more turkey and opening presents. Can Christmas be every day?

And it was the perfect day. This is my first accident-free day in my life.

“Lost in Puppydom: Rory Dylan Stephen’s Puppydom”: RORY CAUGHT UP IN A STICKY SITUATION REQUIRING EMERGENCY “SURGERY”

RORY CAUGHT UP IN A STICKY SITUATION REQUIRING EMERGENCY “SURGERY”

I am perpetually curious having nothing to do with the film “I Am Curious Yellow”. Open door I’ll investigate or closed door I will try and push it open to investigate. Loose toilet paper hanging like a fish lure I will grab it and run. A log ready to go in the fireplace I will peel off the bark. An unattended shoe is chew time. You get the picture.

You are familiar with the expression curiosity killed the cat. Bob often says this is his 4th dog and when I do something like an investigative reporter on “60 Minutes” he gasps, “Never seen any of my dogs do that!” I guess I am extra special. Right? A gifted Westie?

Bob was watching a film the other night and I admit I interrupted him 12 times halfway through the film and being somewhat excessively curious I snatched a crumbled ball of duct tape Bob had placed in the garbage can and it stuck to my paw and wrapped around one of my nails. Bob tried to gently pull it off but this tape is so sticky it hurt and I squealed in pain. I had the impression Bob was ready to squeal with anxiety. He grabbed a bowl, filled it with warm water and soaked my tape entangled paw in the water to soften the glue periodically cutting pieces of the tape with a scissor until I was tape free. Bob said, “I feel like a bloody surgeon!”

Just another day of puppydom!

“Lost in Puppydom: Rory Dylan Stephen’s Puppydom”: RORY’S REALLY REALLY BAD DAY

I am almost 4 months of age and I experienced my first really really bad day. Bob and A (his son) took me to the veterinarian. At my last visit I received a sharp needle in my flank and yelped in pain. Bob tells me it is all for my own good as it prevents diseases dogs’ contract. I felt crappy after for a day and required more sleep than my puppy naps afforded me.

Bob had difficulty finding parking and arrived in the examining room after my first needle which hurt very much. Then another one. Dr. K is a nice woman and speaks to me so gently but the needles! She gave me a prickly tray with wet food smeared all over it to divert my attention for the second needle which didn’t hurt as bad as the first one. Tricky lady but I still love her. Then some medicine up my nose! I sneezed and sneezed. Then a nail clipping which I have never had before. And in the evening my poop was watery and some stuck to my nice clean bum hair. Bob had given me a bath just prior to visiting the vet. I do not like baths “just like Dylan the Westie” Bob said. AND I HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER BATH TO CLEAN THE POOP OFF! Bob’s sweet talking made me feel just a wee bit better. I felt groggy after my bath and had no energy to cause my usual mayhem.

And Bob and Dr. K had conversed about me losing my manhood at 6 months of age. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN???!!!

And you thought being a puppy was all about gambolling about, doing puppy twirls and giving kisses all day long…..

RKS Literature: The Party’s View of Its Ideal Society and Reality (George Orwell)

“The ideal set up by the Party was something huge, terrible and glittering-a world of steel and concrete, monstrous machines and terrifying weapons-a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting-three hundred million people all with the  same face. The reality was decaying, dingy cities where underfed people shuffled to and fro in leaky shoes, in patched up nineteenth century houses that smelt always of cabbage and bad lavatories.”

George Orwell, “1984”, 1949.

RKS CANADIAN Television: “Animal Nation” Premiers 8January2026 on APTN With “BEAR”

2Ducks Media and APTN announced on 17December2025 the launch of the sweeping docuseries Animal Nation, premiering January 8, 2026 on APTN (in English) and streaming on APTN+. This groundbreaking project, created in collaboration with Indigenous communities across Canada and the U.S., takes viewers deep into the heart of some of the continent’s most beautiful wild spaces and tells the stories of seven iconic animals, guided by the people who have co-existed and protected their shared territories for generations. From incredible animal behaviour to on-the-ground conservation efforts, each of the seven episodes highlights a keystone species: Bear, Beaver, Bison, Caribou, Eagle, Salmon and Wolf.

Created by Ojibway producer Jesse Bochner and Moroccan-born producer Ari A. Cohen, and a talented team of Indigenous key creatives — writers, directors, editors, composers and acclaimed narrator Tantoo Cardinal — the series blends everything audiences love in wildlife storytelling with the depth, insight, and relationships that come from Indigenous knowledge and culture. 

Episode 1 on 8January2026 focuses on the Grizzly bear and is filmed in various Indigenous nations in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Viewers will enjoy dramatically compelling cinematography. Indigenous educators, land stewards, land guardians, hunting guides and biologists explain the importance of the Grizzly from a cultural and socio-economic perspective.

The behaviours, threats, migratory patterns, diet and Grizzly sanctuaries are discussed. The episode is not so much about the Grizzly but its importance in Indigenous culture and the ecosystem.

Laura Grizzlypaws, an Indigenous educator and knowledge keeper, explains the Grizzly is symbolic of many Indigenous cultures in which it can be found. The Grizzly is seen as a first teacher of hunting and foraging techniques and shelter construction.

RKS Literature: The Lottery and the Proles (George Orwell)

“The Lottery with its weekly payout of enormous prizes, was the one public event to which the proles paid serious attention. It was probable that were some million of proles for whom the Lottery was the principal if not the only reason for remaining alive. It was their delight, their folly, their anodyne, their intellectual stimulant. Where the Lottery was concerned even people who could barely read and write seemed capable of intricate calculation and staggering feats of memory. There was a whole tribe of men who made a living simply by selling systems, forecasts and lucky amulets. Winston had nothing to do with the running of the Lottery, which was managed by the Ministry of Plenty, but he was aware (indeed everyone in the Party was aware) that the prizes were largely imaginary. Only small sums were actually paid out, the winners of the big prizes being non-existent persons.”

George Orwell, “1984”, 1949.